Footwear-clasp.



L. P. TINDALL.

FOOTWEAR CLASP.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 23. 1915.

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Patented Sept. 14, 1915.

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LEROY P. TINDAIIII, OF JESUP, GEORGIA.

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To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEROY P. TINDALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at J esup, in the county of Wayne and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Footwear-Clasps; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to footwear clasps, and one of the principal objects of this invention is to provide a clasp which will extend from the arch to the instep of the shoe, said clasp being formed of comparatively thin resilient metal and adapted to clasp around the instep of the wearer and hold the shoe firmly upon the foot without being uncomfortable to the wearer and which will entirely obviate the use of shoe laces, buttons or other extraneous fastenings.

Another object of the invention is to provide a shoe fastening comprising a clasp to extend around the arch and instep of the shoe, said clasp being adapted to support the arch of the foot as well as closing the upper of the shoe.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a combined shoe fastening and arch support which will be comfortable to the wearer and which will give to the shoe a good appearance. 7

The foregoing and other objects may be attained by means of the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a shoe having fasteners or clasps one of which is made in accordance with this invention secured between the upper and lining thereof, Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section of the shoe and fastening, Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the instep fastening, and Fig. 4

.is a similar view of the ankle fastening.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates a shoe havinga front instep opening 2. 7

It will be understood that this invention may be used with high or low shoes, with heavy shoes or light weight shoes, for either ladies or gentlemen.

As shown in the drawing, the base 3 of the instep spring extends from the rear portion of the heel to a point just beyond the arch of the shoe, and this plate is secured Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented se t. it, was.

Application filed l ebruary 23, 1915. Serial No. 10,000.

between the inner sole 4 and the outer sole which are preferably formed integral with the base portion 3. The arms extend around the foot of the wearer between the upper leather and the lining of the shoe, and

said spring clasp members are each provided with spaced divergent members 9, which are connected together upon opposite sides of the instep opening 2 by parallel bars or members 10. The normal condition of the spring clasp is closed as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing, the tension of the spring clasp being exerted to close the two flaps at the opposite sides of the opening 2 in front of the shoe. At the top of the shoe a spring 11 is connected between thelining and upper of the shoe at the ankle opening, said spring having a lug or projection 12 at the back thereof, which is disposed between the upper leather and a leather stay 13 which extends from the top of the shoe to the heel. At the front, the spring 11 is provided with two downwardly extending projections 14:. Interposed between the spring 11 and the instep spring clasp is a tab 15 of leather or other suitable material provided with a button or other suitable fastening 16.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that a shoe provided with the instep clasp made in accordance with this invention and the ankle clasp as shown can be readily placed on the foot, and the instep clasp will surround the foot and hold it firmly within the shoe without being uncomfortable, and will at the same time serve to support the arch on account of the construction and contour of the base plate 3, while the clasp 11 at the ankle opening will hold that portion of the shoe firmly closed.

The shoe fastener may be used on any form of shoe, and can be readily replaced when broken. The clasp may be made of spring steel or any other metal which will be highly resilient and which will outwear an ordinary pair of shoes.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

What is claimed is 1. A footwear clasp comprising a. base member, and integral resilient arms extending from opposite sides of the base member and adapted to extend from the arch to the instep of the shoe.

2. The combination with a shoe of a clasp comprising a base portion, and resilient arms extending from the opposite sides of .the base member, said base member being secured between the inner sole and outer sole of said shoe and extending from the heel portion beyond the arch oftheshoe to provide an arch supporter and the resilient arms being disposed between the upper and the lining of the shoe and terminating at the instep opening.

3. The combination with a shoe of a clasp comprising a base member, and resilient arms extending from the opposite sides of the base member, said base member being secured between the inner sole and outer sole of said shoe and extending from the heel portion beyond the arch of the shoe and the resilient arms being disposed between the upper and the lining of the shoe, said resilient arms terminating in extensions which are normally held in contact with the foot of the wearer by the resiliency of the spring arms.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses. I

LEROY P. TINDALL. Witnesses:

R. W. TINDALL, L. FULCHER. 

